A Great Wizard Deserves the Brightest Witch
by Andrew Fisher15
Summary: A Harry and Hermione pairing fanfiction, written as an alternate take on how events might have happened, starting with the Yule Ball. Mild fluff, mimicking the original style. Small guest appearances by one Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase.
1. Chapter 1

A small ficlet that I just had to write, just to get it on paper. There's this downright beautiful video someone made on youtube, called, "101 Reasons to Ship Harry and Hermione." Watch it before or after you read this, and see if you can spot the reason that inspired this ficlet.

And let me know what you think, about the story, if it's worth continuing!

* * *

"_You're a great wizard, Harry. You really are."—_Hermione

"_You really are the brightest witch of your age."—_Sirius Black to Hermione Granger

* * *

"Potter, you don't have a choice." McGonagall said firmly. "You are a Hogwarts champion, and you will carry on the dance tradition. Find yourself a partner before the Ball, or I will find one for you. I don't care if dragons attack you again, you will not be going up there alone!" I nodded, muttering a weak promise that I'd find someone, and left the classroom. Everyone had already headed back to the Gryffindor common room. I climbed the shifting staircases and trudged up another flight of stairs, pausing only at the Fat Lady.

"Odysseus." I said. The entrance swung open, noise drifting out. .

"What'd McGonagall want?" Ron asked as soon as I sat down. Hermione looked up briefly from her an essay. I briefly considered taking out some of my homework, then decided against it.

"I'm officially a Hogwarts champion, so I have to open the dance." I said. "With a partner. So not only do I have to go, I have to dance."

"Shouldn't be difficult, to find a partner." Hermione remarked, looking over her work. "Everyone's going. And you won your name back, fighting that dragon."

"She's right, mate." Ron said encouragingly. "The girls will probably be lining up to go with you." I glanced at Hermione briefly. She was busy with her essay. An idea that had been in the back of my head was getting stronger, even as my heart started speeding up.

"Have you decided who you're asking?" I asked Ron carefully. I had to give him first chance, just to be fair. But that was it. After that, tough luck.

"Maybe one of the Beauxbatons." Ron said airily. "They don't make girls like that at Hogwarts." I almost snorted. I rather doubted he could work up the nerve to ask one of them. But I didn't have much right to make fun, considering how nervous I was feeling.

"Oh, so basically the prettiest girl who'll have you, even if you don't know her and probably won't understand half of what she says?" Hermione asked critically.

"Got that right." Ron nodded. She scowled and looked over her essay once more. I forced the words out of my mouth, wiping my now-sweaty hands on my robes.

"Hermione?" I asked.

"Mhm?" She said.

"Would you… would you be my partner?" The words slipped out on their own. Hermione froze for a moment, and looked at me. She was doing that smile when you're trying to look normal, but her eyes shone with excitement. Ron just looked stunned.

"What did you say, Harry?" She asked, though I'm was dead sure she heard me right the first time.

"Would you go to the Yule Ball with me, Hermione?" I managed to speak clearly, thank God. "Be my date?"

"I would love to, Harry." Hermione looked like I had told her something wonderful.

"That's great!" I said, maybe a little too loudly, and I might have been grinning a bit too widely. But she had said yes, that was all that mattered. I resisted the urge to do anything too drastic, like jump in the air, or shout. "I… I was worried someone might have asked you already!"

"What's great?" Fred Weasley suddenly asked, appearing out of nowhere.

"Harry just asked Hermione to the Ball." Ron said in disbelief.

"And what'd she say?" George inquired, appearing just as suddenly. We were in the common room, of course, but I had forgotten how full it was.

"I said yes, of course." Hermione replied, as though it should have been obvious.

"Congratulations," Fred said, chortling. I felt my face turning red, but Hermione couldn't have looked more pleased.

"Knew it would happen sooner or later." George chimed in.

"To think, I almost wasted two galleons slipping you both love potions." Fred shook his head. "Charitable cause, but gold is gold."

"Knock it off." Ron scowled.

"What's got your knickers in a twist?" The twins laughed in unison, just as the bell rang for dinner. Hermione quickly put her homework in her bag. I stood.

"Dinner?" I asked. She nodded, blushing a little.

"I'm not hungry." Ron said sourly. "You two go on."

"Okay." I said cheerfully, walking with Hermione to the portrait.

"Ron seems a little upset." I remarked cautiously, making sure that I didn't walk to fast. We both stopped, waiting for a staircase to come back around.

"He does, doesn't he?" Hermione said, sounding a little pleased. She suddenly did something she had never done before…

…and kissed me on the cheek.

"I'm really glad you asked me, Harry." She said brightly.

"Kind of exciting, isn't it?" I said, happily. My earlier dread had oddly vanished. "Going to ball?"

"It'll be brilliant."


	2. Chapter 2

Why do they belong together? Because she loved him too much to let him die alone—and he loved her too much to let her go with him.

* * *

"_There's a reason I can hear them—the horcruxes. I think I've known for a while. But I think you have too..."_

_ "I'll go with you!"_

_ "No! Kill the snake—kill the snake, and then it's just him!" _

* * *

"Just stop!" Hermione shouted, covering her ears. I closed the golden egg back up, and the wailing ceased.

"It makes no sense." I said wearily. "It's just a horrible wailing." Hermione sighed, rolling her wand between her fingers.

"Reveal your secrets." She commanded, touching the tip of her wand to the egg.

Nothing happened, of course. I tried opening it up again, and again, it sounded like a horrible screech.

"The sound has to be the clue." Hermione said doggedly. "The design isn't that special. There's nothing carved on the egg, no hidden message…"

"Yes, but how is that awful noise a clue?" I turned the egg around for the hundredth time, then leaned back on the bench, enjoying the sun. Footfalls crunched twigs behind us, and I heard Hermione greet someone.

"Hey Luna." She said, putting her notebook up.

"Hello Hermione." Luna said serenely. "Did you hear the Sniggering Wraiths? They were calling just a moment ago."

"Sniggering Wraith?" I repeated. "You're making that up, right?"

"Not at all." Luna explained dreamily. "Sniggering Wraiths are related to the Sirens, but they can't sing, so they hunt their prey, mostly unlucky swimmers. The mermaids in the black lake have killed most of them around Hogwarts, though."

"Harry, this is Luna Lovegood." Hermione said, rolling her eyes. "Luna, this is Harry."

"I know." Luna said lightly. "The Slytherin's wear badges that have your face on them. The Huffelpuffs did too, until Cedric took them away."

"Cedric was getting rid of those badges?" Hermione asked curiously.

"He said Harry was his friend." Luna recalled airily. "And turned one badge into a wasp. None of the Hufflepuffs wanted them after that." She looked around once. "Well, I'm heading back to the castle. Watch out for Sniggering Wraiths."

"We will." Hermione managed to say without laughing. Luna skipped off.

"She's—"

"A bit odd." Hermione finished, shaking her head. She looked out over the black lake. "Harry… can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead." I was mulling over how far I could kick the egg.

"You didn't ask me to the Ball just because you were scared of asking Cho, or one of the Beaubaxton girls, did you?" Hermione asked rapidly.

"Did Ron suggest that to you?" I said sharply. She didn't answer right away. That was answer enough.

"It's alright if you did." She said, looking more and more afraid of the answer. "I just, I'd like to know."

"Hermione, I asked you because I like you." I said softly. Somehow, her being nervous made me feel less nervous. "Because you always have my back, no matter what." I studied her expression. "And because you're smart and pretty." I added, smiling.

"Thanks." The look of nervousness faded, and she smiled back. "I like you too, Harry." There was a silence for a moment, both of us grinning widely at this agreement. It struck me, that Hermione really was very pretty. Especially when she looked happy. Her cheeks, her smile, her eyes…

I leaned forward and kissed her on impulse. When I pulled back a second later, she was blushing bright red, and I felt a rush of embarrassment—

Then she leaned forward on her own, and I rejoined her.

The second one went a lot better.

"There." Hermione said, grinning again, and standing.

"There?" I repeated.

"We had to get it right before we could go back to the castle." She said matter-of-factly, laughing a little. "The first one wasn't good enough to end on."

"I'll remember that." I smiled.


	3. Chapter 3

You know, if you think you see something there between Mr. Potter and Ms. Granger, you're not alone. Dumbledore suspected something.

So did Cho.

And Viktor.

And Rita Skeeter.

And Ron.

* * *

"Are you sure they're supposed to look like this?" I pulled at the collar of my dress robes. "They don't feel right."

"Your bow tie is off." Hermione said absently, adjusting it. She was wearing a beautiful dress. "This is why we have practice, so we don't have to ask these things right before the ball." We were getting a few odd looks, standing around in our finest outfits while everyone else was wearing normal school robes.

"Where'd you get those robes, Potter?" Came a cold, drawling voice. We both turned to see Draco Malfoy strolling towards us. "A leprechaun shop?"

"How is it that in a castle this big, you're constantly running into us, Malfoy?" Hermione snapped. "Stalking us?"

"Looking forward to when they throw your lot out, Granger, you and all the other mudbloods." Draco sneered. I reached for my wand, but was stopped by a timely voice.

"What did you just call Ms. Granger, Malfoy?" McGonagall suddenly appeared around the corner.

"Nothing." Malfoy replied, evidently not able to think up a better lie. After his run in with Moody, he didn't look like he had the nerve to go up against another teacher. "I was just going."

"Unfortunately for you, I in fact **did** hear what you called her." McGonagall shot back, scowling. "I think we'll take 100 points from Slytherin, for using that foul word. And a detention, for lying to a professor." Rage flickered across Malfoy's face.

"See you later, Potter." He growled, taking off. McGonagall watched him go with a look of distaste, but she just looked tired when she turned to speak to us.

"I was delayed, a quarrel between a Durmstrang student and a Ravenclaw… come in." She opened the classroom door, and gestured for them to go in. Once inside, she sent the desks sweeping to the sides of the room with a wave of her wand.

"Thank you, Professor." Hermione said gratefully. McGonagall smiled faintly.

"You're quite welcome, Ms. Granger." She said. "Now, the opening dance… it may seem difficult at first, but you two should grasp it easily enough. Mr. Potter, you and Miss Granger will be joining the dance floor last of the champions, after Mr. Krum." She went on into the details, giving the us some direction, then stopping to adjust things—

"Mr. Potter, this is a dance, not a rush to Quidditch!"

"Ms. Granger, you will be attendng a ball, not an exam, so a smile would be quite allowed!"

It was a full hour before she was satisfied.

"Well, I shall rest easier, knowing my students are prepared." She said, moving the desks back into position. "If you two hurry back to your common room to change, you should be in time for dinner."

"And Ms. Granger?" McGonnagall called. Hermione turned. "Should certain foul words be thrown about again by Slytherins, as I suspect they will, please inform me at once. I will not stand for such language at Hogwarts."

"Thank you, Professor." Hermione said.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I was tired of this. Of Ron's behavior. Ever since I had asked Hermione to the ball he had been treating both me and her with a cold, sneering indifference. I wasn't ignorant enough to not understand why he was doing that, but I expected more of a friend. He had his chance—just because he didn't realize Hermione was a girl until I asked her, didn't mean he had some claim to her.

I waited until I saw him alone on the Marauder's map, and tracked him down in a corridor. Of course, he immediately turned and headed the other way when he saw me.

"Ron." I called, walking rapidly after him. "Stop!"

"What do you want?" He snapped, giving me a look like someone who had just seen something particularly disgusting. I cut to the chase.

"Just one question." I said trying to sound normal. "Are we done?"

"What the bloody hell is that supposed to mean?" Ron scowled. "You're the one that chased me down just now!"

"You know what I mean." I said evenly, keeping my voice down. "First, you called me a liar when I said I didn't put my name in the goblet. Now you're cold because I asked Hermione to the ball."

"You think you can do whatever you want, don't you?" Ron said angrily. "You're the great Harry Potter, and I'm just a stupid Weasley." I fought the urge to hex him.

"I risked my life to save your little sister, Ron, so if you're going to start claiming I think I'm better than you or your family, it just counts against **you**, not me." I retorted. "Answer the question. Yes or no, I'll take either answer. Are. We. Done?" He paused for a moment, and I saw the scowl deepen on his face.

"Yeah, we're done." He said, pushing me aside and walking off. I froze. I honestly hadn't expected that. Three years of friendship, condensed into a single act and thrown away like something that had turned rotten. A ill feeling was rising in the pit of my stomach. I started walking, rapidly, not really paying attention to where I was headed.

"What happened to you, Potter?" A voice growled behind me. I turned to see Professor Moody stumping along.

"Bad day." I replied shortly, looking around for the first time in a half hour. I was near the headmaster's office.

"Yeah?" Moody asked. "What's wrong?" I hesitated, a little unsure if I should be complaining to a professor. Moody sighed. "Spit it out Potter. This isn't a year to be keeping problems to yourself."

"Ron." I said, a little too embarrassed to look him in the eye. "We were friends ever since we met on the Hogwarts Express, first year. And he just turned… he loathes me now. Me and Hermione."

"Oh." Mad-Eye said knowingly, catching my last few words. "You and Hermione?"

"He acts like he hates us both." I shrugged. Moody looked exasperated for a moment, but didn't rebuke me.

"Well, do you like her?" Moody said simply. I nodded. "Does she like you?"

"Yeah. She was really happy when I asked her." I recalled, smiling a little. "And, out by the lake… we…"

"Then don't worry about it." Moody said gruffly. "All is fair in love and war, Potter. If Ron can't be your friend anymore because of a girl, he was never really your friend in the first place. Got it?" I nodded. Moody gave me a rough pat on the shoulder.

"Don't worry about it." He said. "Finish your classes for the term, then work on that egg. In fact, I'd say Hermione could help you figure it out. She's a smart girl."

"Thanks, sir." I did feel a little better. "So… you don't think Ron has the right to be acting like that?"

"Potter, Ron didn't stand a chance with her." Moody laughed. "Even the other professors see it, and that was before you asked her to the ball. You and that girl rarely leave each other's sight."

* * *

You know, the Prisoner of Azkaban summarizes the difference well between Hermione's relationship with Ron, and her relationship with Harry—as well as the difference between Ron and Harry.

When Draco starts bullying Ron by the Shrieking Shack, Ron cowers behind Hermione, unable to even meet Malfoy's eyes when he weakly tries to retort for an insult.

Later, inside the Shrieking Shack, the trio is confronted by Sirius Black, who they thought at the time to be an insane murderer. Hermione steps in front of Harry and grabs him around the middle to keep him behind her—only for him to break away and charge at Sirius. Later, when Harry and Hermione time-turn a few hours back, and a werewolf-transformed Remus is about to attack the duo, **Harry** shields _Hermione._


	4. A Dance

Why do Harry and Hermome belong together? They even rode together on a Hippogriff, which is a symbol of love overcoming the impossible.

* * *

"This might be the most nerve-wracking thing we've been through." I remarked casually, trying to hide how tense I felt.

"Just remember, no one else here has been to a Yule Ball before, either." Hermione said encouragingly. "So they won't know any better than us." She looked absolutely amazing. Her hair was up in some—I don't know what the word was, but it was up around the back of her head, with just a few curls down around her face like a princess. Even her smile was looking perfect as we made our way down to the hall, stopping to greet friends along the way.

The entrance hall was full of various students milling around. Students with dates from other houses were meeting up. I didn't see Ron anywhere, though it was a big crowd.

"There's Fleur." Hermione commented. "With the Ravenclaw Quidditch captain."

"Roger Davies." I said, nodding. "He's pretty good." Hermione smiled a little.

"I forgot, you've played against all the other teams." She said. "When I think of you flying, it's always against Slytherin."

"Well well." Said a familiar voice.

"Don't you two make a pretty picture?" Chimed an identical one. We both turned around to face the Weasley twins, and their dates, Angelina and a Beaubaxtons girl.

"You look amazing, Hermione." Angelina smiled warmly.

"Who knew you cleaned up so well?" Fred grinned.

"You'd better keep this one, Harry." George said.

"You don't run into girls like her everyday." Fred added. Hermione was blushing, and I felt a little red in the face myself.

"All the champions, over here please." McGonagall called. We wished the twins luck and went over to join Fleur, Krum, and Cedric by McGonagall, along with their dates. Cedric didn't say anything, but he smiled warmly as he nodded a greeting to me and Hermione

Snape was ushering the rest of the students into the hall—almost mild mannered, since I wasn't around to loathe on. "You four will enter the hall after everyone has been seated." McGonagall explained. "As guests of honor, you will proceed straight to the far side of the hall, and be seated at the judges' table…"

_Later into the night…_

We sat down at a table after getting drinks, nodding a hello to two foreign students. I studied them briefly—I didn't recognize them. The boy looked a little like me—messy black hair, about sixteen years old, maybe. He was rolling a pen around in his hand the way Hogwarts students play with their wands. The girl was a little younger, but had an intense look when she greeted me, like she was wondering how I'd fare in a fight. Her eyes were brilliant—a shocking blue that stood out against her hair, which was dark and long.

"Great party." The boy remarked, grinning. His accent was American, though I couldn't place what part he was from. New York? I hadn't met enough Americans to know their accents.

"This is really a beautiful place." The girl said, looking around. She was an American too, though her accent was a bit different from her boyfriend's. "I love the design. We don't have architecture like this back home."

"I don't think we've met." Hermione said brightly. "I'm Hermione Granger, and this is Harry Potter." The American girl offered a hand, smiling.

"Annabeth Cha—"

"Ah! I was wondering where you two got too." Dumbledore said, suddenly appearing right behind me. He was smiling, but there was seriousness in his eyes. "Harry, I'm afraid I'll have to steal these two away for just a moment." He gave a slight nod towards the entrance hall, and the two Americans immediately left the table, Dumbledore following after.

"What was that about?" Hermione wondered. I shrugged.

"I'll ask him, later." I took another sip of butterbeer, surveying the party, then looking back at Hermione. She gave me a sly look.

"Want to go for a walk, for a few minutes?" She asked, grinning. "It's another two hours before the ball is over... plenty of time." I returned her grin.

"Sure." We slipped outside easily, but neither of us had realized how cold it would be, and Hermione had bare arms. I put an arm around her and pulled her a bit closer. It was beautiful, though, to see the courtyard filled with snow. The air was—

"Ten points from Huffelpuff! And ten from Ravenclaw!" An oily voice snapped, ruining the atmosphere. "Go!" Hermione and I ducked automatically, and two sheepish students ran past us. Snape came into view, followed by the Durmstrang Headmaster, Igor Karkaroff.

"You know what it means, Severus." Igor insisted. "It will happen soon. He must have been growing stronger, over the last few months… but now it's so clear, it's like before he fell—"

"Run, if you want." Snape replied coldly. "I'll explain to your students."

"You are not worried?" Karkaroff asked, sounding baffled. "Severus, he will hunt both of us down!"

"Not much point in running, then, is there?" Snape said, speaking in his usual way, sounding like he was relishing every word before speaking it. "Are you afraid that Durmstrang lacks the strength to keep you safe?"

"No place is safe from **him**." Igor hissed. "Are you so arrogant to think that he will be afraid to attack Hogwarts? It may be several years, but he will be at your gates soon enough, and the world will see how strong these walls really are."

"I'm not a coward, Karkaroff. I will face what comes." Snape retorted icily. "This conversation is pointless."

And of course, they walked into our line of sight. Karkaroff looked horrified. Snape was just angry.

"What are you two doing?" He snapped.

"Talking, watching the snow?" I offered, my heart racing, wishing my wand was at ready.

"Get back inside!" He spat, walking on. Karkaroff gave us both a look, and followed him. They vanished inside the Great Hall.

A cracking sound made Hermione and I turn, only to see Fleur and Roger Davies fall out of a rosebush. Hermione laughed, watching Fleur huff indignantly and pull Davies along with her.

"They had to be talking about Voldemort." I whispered to Hermione, not quite as entertained as her by Fleur's embarrassment. "Who else?"

"Padfoot told you Karkaroff was a Death Eater, though." Hermione wondered. "Why is he so terrified?"

"He must've claimed to have been under the Imperious Curse, to avoid Azkaban." I thought through it rapidly. "Or he turned informant. Which is why Voldemort would hunt him down."

"Why would he be discussing this with Snape, though?" Hermione gave a quick guess. "He had to be talking about his mark. I read that every Death Eater had the dark mark on his arm, that's how Voldemort summoned them." Neither of us was paying attention to the snow or the cold.

"Karkaroff didn't put your name in the cup, then." Hermione continued. "If he was working for Voldemort, he wouldn't be terrified of him coming back, would he?" That was an unpleasant thought. Someone else was at Hogwarts was behind it...

"Let's get back to the party." I sighed. Hermione took my hand, and we went back to the Great Hall. The Weird Sisters was playing a softer tune now, and maybe a third of the guests were gone. I still saw Dumbledore and the Professors, along with Cedric and his date. Ron was nowhere in sight, and I had seen the twins vanish off somewhere with their dates an hour ago. Amazingly, Ginny was still slow-dancing with Neville.

"Dance?" Hermione asked softly. I nodded. After the carefully practiced first dances, this would be enjoyable.

"The intrigue, the danger… but Hogwarts is still a lot better than home with the Dursley's." I joked. Hermione looked like she was thinking something over.

"I… well, maybe this summer, instead of going back to them… " She said slowly. "Maybe… you could stay at my home instead? I mean, it's not going to be terribly interesting, but it's only for a few months—" I started laughing. Hermione looked baffled. I was reminded of how tenuously Sirius had been a year earlier outside the Whomping Willow, hesitantly offering if I'd like to live with him.

"Hermione, try to imagine living with Snape for two months." I grinned. "Compare your home to _that._"

"I'll send them an owl, see if they're up for it." Hermione looked pleasantly surprised. I looked around warily.

"What's wrong?" She asked. I paused.

"Waiting to see if someone turns into a werewolf this time."


	5. Following Cedric's Suggestion

To all of you that realized who the Americans were—and especially that Anonymous reviewer who was so excited—you guys made me smile, reading your comments. And of course, my thanks to **all** the reviewers. I notice and read every review you fellows leave.

* * *

Why do Harry and Hermione belong together?

Because when all is said and done, if he's there for her, she doesn't need anyone else.

_"Maybe we should just stay here, Harry. Grow old together."_—Hermone Granger

* * *

"Pine Fresh." I whispered. The door creaked open, and Hermione and I quickly slipped inside, closing it behind us.

I immediately wanted to become a prefect one day. The room was downright luxurious—the bathtub was the size of a small swimming pool. Instead of faucets, there was a fountain with a dozen different nozzles attached to it, presumably for different types of soap. There were several stained glass windows, adding to the beauty.

"Wow." Hermione laughed. "Being responsible has rewards. Though I don't see how this will help us solve the egg."

"Maybe it was Cedric's idea of a joke." I mused, taking off my shirt and pants. (I still had my boxers on, of course.) It had taken almost a week to find the perfect night to sneak off and follow Cedric's advice, but it looked like it was worth the wait. We'd have the place to ourselves for hours, unless any prefects were sneaking about like us.

"Not a very cruel one, then." Hermione smiled, turning the water on. Pipes creaked horribly, but steaming clear water started filling up the pool. She turned another nozzle, and huge bubbles started coming out, drifting around the room, the size of melons. I touched one, thinking it would pop, but it just bounced away. Hermione laughed and tried another nozzle.

"We have to do this every week." I sad firmly. Now the bath was being covered in a layer of what looked shockingly like snow and ice, though the room was pleasantly hot and steaming. Each nozzle probably had a magically unique soap.

"Agreed." Hermione said mischievously, tossing her shirt and her skirt away before jumping in and vanishing beneath snowdrifts. I jumped in after her. I was wiping the fake snow out of my eyes when I surfaced, but it didn't burn or sting.

"Oh, forgot to tell you. I asked Professor McGonnagall about the two American students earlier." I said.

"And?" Hermione treaded water next to me.

"She just said, 'They're the Headmaster's business, Potter, not yours or mine.'" I repeated, shaking my head. "I'm going to ask Dumbelore next time I get a chance. Or Moody. They aren't with the Durmstrang lot or Beauxbatons."

"Well, Dumbledore did want to talk to them at the Ball." Hermione pondered. "Maybe he brought them in to help find out who put your name in the cup. But I have better news." We swam over to the side, holding lightly onto the edge.

"Another 120% on a test?" I teased. Hermione flushed slightly, but was grinning.

"I got a letter back from my parents. I explained how things are for you during the summer… they said they'd be delighted to have you as a guest." She said. I noticed how cute she looked soaking wet. "If you'd still like to."

"Hmm, decisions." I pretended to think it over. "Live more with the Durseley's, go join Sirius in that cave, or your parents…"

"It's not going to be terribly interesting." Hermione said warningly. "We do go to theater or the park, and shopping sometimes, but they're normal Muggles. And my mum's a pretty bad driver. When I have friends over and they ride with us, they're like, 'Hello Mrs. Granger—'" She mimed grabbing a handhold and bracing. I laughed.

"**You're** still fine, so it can't be that dangerous." I grinned. "Hermione, it'd be wonderful."

"Brilliant!" Hermione said. "Oh, and one thing I found out. Sirius is the rightful owner of the Black house, did you know? I imagine it's too dangerous for him to go there right now, but when his name gets cleared, or if he can make it unplottable… you could move in with him permanently."

"I'll ask him about it." I said seriously, making a note to send him an owl in the morning.

"You know, we should be working on the egg." Hermione said regretfully, looking over at it. She pushed herself up a bit on the edge, pulled it closer.

"It'll just screech if you open it." I warned.

She did anyway. The nails on a chalkboard sounded again, and she quickly slammed it shut. I smacked it in frustration, sending it to the bottom of the pool.

"Maybe that's it!" Hermione said excitedly, staring down at the slight gold shimmer. "Underwater! Sound waves are changed by water!"

"Might as well give it a go." I shrugged. We dove down together, and Hermione turned the top. The sides fell open again, but instead of a horrible screech, it was a song.

"_Come seek us where our voices sound, we cannot sing above the ground. An hour long you'll have to look, to recover what we took." _There was a slight pause, and the song restarted. We heard it through once more, then surfaced.

"Brilliant, Hermione!" I congratulated her, as soon as I got a breath of air.

"The Black Lake!" Hermione said, pushing her hair out of her eyes. "There's merpeople in the Black Lake."

"I have to get something from the Merpeople in the Black Lake," I finished, spitting water, "and I'll have an hour to do it." We treaded water in silence for a moment.

"An hour in the Black Lake?" Hermione wondered, treading water.

"I can only swim decently." I said, unhappy at the thought. "An hour to look, and it's a task? It'll be hidden in deep water. How am I supposed to dive deep enough?"

"We'll have to find a spell, to breath underwater." Hermione said. "Or maybe you can use scuba gear."

"Scuba gear?" I wondered.

"Muggles use it to dive and stay underwater." She explained. "They—"

"I know what scuba gear is, Hermione." I shook my head. "An oxygen tank, with a breathing hose, and a diving mask… I just don't know how I'd get some in time. Fly off during a Hogsmeade Weekend to buy some?"

"I could send an owl to my parents, have them buy some and have it delivered by broomstick." Hermione shrugged. Which was a little odd to see, as the water was up to her neck. "But I think there has to be a charm. This is a _magic_ tournament, after all."

"Well, we've got time, a couple days." I dived down, capped the egg, and put it on the side of the pool. "We can research it at the library, or ask Moody."

"We'll found out what it is, we're halfway there." Hermione said brightly, pushing the egg away. We went over to the wading end of the bathtub. There was silence for a few moments, us looking at each other, the egg, looking around the room…

"This is actually kind of weird." I remarked lightly, looking at Hermione. She looked a little alarmed.

"What do you mean?" She asked quickly. I smiled.

"Every year, most of my time is spent worrying about Voldemort, or getting killed in some fashion." I joked. "First year we were worried about the Stone, then about the Chamber of Secrets, then we thought Sirius was a nutter out to kill me…"

"And this year you got entered into this competition." Hermione continued. "So what's weird?"

"Having fun!" I grinned, picking her up around the waist and spinning both around once. She shrieked in surprise, laughing. "We're always dealing with situations where someone's about to die, or some horrible danger. I can't believe we're actually having a good time for a change!"

"Maybe we should see that this becomes a normal activity." Hermione said, laughing again as she splashed me. I kissed her lightly, feeling her smile as wet lips brushed each other.

"Agreed."


	6. Back to the books

A thank you to all reviewers, I read and appreciate every review. And thanks to those who favorite and/or put this story on alerts. I like know people enjoyed reading this.

* * *

Why do they belong together?

She was the only person he chose to go home to Godric's Hollow with-and she put flowers on his parents' grave.

* * *

It's amazing how situations can just… walk up on you when you're not looking. Literally. But when they're girls a year younger than you, it's a little more understandable.

"Are you and Ron ever going to be friends again?" A quiet voice asked.

I nearly fell out of my chair in surprise.

Ginny giggled a little, though she quieted when I recovered.

"I don't know." I shrugged. "He was the one who decided not to be." Ginny was quiet. I couldn't remember the last time she had actually started a conversation with me. Or the first time.

"Because you fancy Hermione." Ginny said. I nodded. "I saw you two snogging the other day." She added. I cringed inwardly, remembering how Ginny had had a crush on me since we met outside Platform 9 ¾, according to Ron. This was not what I wanted to deal with right now… I was supposed to be finding a charm for the task. Hermione wanted to find out more about the two Americans. I didn't want to hurt Ginny's feelings, but she deserved straight-forwardness.

"Would you still like to be friends?" I asked honestly. "Ron and I might not be friends, but you and your family are pretty great." She smiled, looking surprised.

"You think we're great?" She asked. "Even though we… well, don't have much money."

"That really bothers Ron." I commented. It gnawed at me, making me think of things I didn't want to remember right now. "He feels lousy when he's reminded how much my parents left me."

"He's jealous." Ginny looked over at the other wall, like she was counting the books. "I… I am too. We have secondhand everything... books, cloaks, wands. I hate it."

"Family is worth more than money." I said. "A lot more." Ginny nodded..

"I guess so." She agreed. A smile flickered on her lips. "Well, I'd trade Ron for ten galleons right about now—" We both burst out laughing.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

One day to the second task, I wasn't in a very good mood. Nor was Hermione.

"There **has **to be something here." She insisted, scanning more pages. "They've never made an undoable task."

"Maybe not, but I still don't see anyway to do it." I sighed.

"Oh, there's always a way, for those clever enough to find it." A girl's voice said. We turned to see the two Americans standing at the end of the aisle. The girl was spinning a baseball cap around in her hand.

"You went asking about us." The boy said, nodding at Hermione. She looked irate at the intrusion.

"Yes. Dumbledore didn't have much to say." She retorted. He looked pleased.

"I'm Percy, by the way." He added. "Harry and Hermione, right?" I nodded.

"So you don't know how to complete the second task yet?" Annabeth asked. I still felt like she was trying to analyze us.

"Well spotted." Hermione said curtly, returning to her book. Neither of us felt up to investigating who those two were at the time. I think Hermione was almost as nervous about the second task as me.

"Can you perform a bubble-head charm?" Percy asked. We both looked at him.

"A _bubble-head charm_?" I repeated. "No. Can you?"

"Percy saw the French champion using it in the lake." Annabeth said before Percy could reply. "And that scarred professor with the fake leg, I heard him asking your head of house if you had been taught about gillyweed yet. He thought it'd be a great way for you to do the task."

"Gillyweed?" Hermione gave them a look. "What does it do?"

"No clue." Annabeth said offhandedly.

"Gillyweed?" Neville suddenly appeared behind the Americans as though the word was a summoning charm. "I thought I heard someone mention it." They looked at him but didn't say anything.

"Do you know what it is?" I asked. He nodded eagerly.

"It's a transformation plant." Neville explained eagerly. "It was in that book Professor Moody gave me. You eat it, and it transforms you into a merman. Gills, webbed feet, hands. Only lasts an hour or so, though." When he mentioned Professor Moody, Annabeth tensed and looked to Percy. I wasn't sure why.

"Do you know where we could find some, Neville?" Hermione asked. He nodded again.

"There's some in the greenhouse. Want me to get you some?" He said.

"That would be brilliant, if you could." I said gratefully.

"Sure thing!" He took off. The Americans were giving each other looks.

"That was a little convenient." Percy said wryly. Hermione smiled a little.

"So where are you two from?" She asked. "I don't know a lot of about magical schools in America."

"Our school isn't so much like this place." Annabeth explained. "It's more of a training camp. You can choose to go year round, or just in the summer."

"Why would anyone just go during the summer?" I asked, amazed.

"We still have to work on our education." Percy shrugged. "Get a diploma, go to college. But some have to stay there all year, because they don't have anywhere else to go, or it might be too dangerous for them outside of camp. It's surrounded by strong magic that keeps out enemies."

"So when summer gets here, you go back to training camp?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah." Annabeth said. "I guess you two head home, right?"

"Not this year." I grinned. "I normally live with my muggle uncle during the summer, but it's absolutely horrid. Hermione's parents are letting me stay with them."

"I had a mortal step-dad like that, for a long time." Percy looked sympathetic. "Complete jerk, spent all his time drinking beer and treating my mom horribly. She finally dealt with him a couple years ago."

"What happened?" Hermione asked. Percy hesitated, and you could see him trying to decide what to say. "Died of his gluttony." Percy said casually. "I put a monster in the refrigerator, chained it shut, and left a note on it saying to not open it under any circumstances. He was outraged, bashed it open to get a beer, and it got him."

Hermione and I shared a slightly unsure look, like we didn't know whether to laugh or be horrified. Annabeth just looked curious.

"Was this after our first quest?" She asked.

"Yeah, the thing we got from Aunty Em's…" He said quietly. "My dad mailed it back."

"You killed him?" Hermione looked shocked.

"He hit my mom when I wasn't around." Percy didn't back down. "I did **chain** the fridge shut, **and **put a note on it saying to never open it. If that giant guy who takes care of the animals here—"

"Hagrid." Hermione and I chimed in.

"—if Hagrid had a monster locked in cage with a note on it saying to never open it, would you blame him if someone was dumb enough to break it open and got killed by it?" Percy asked.

"I guess you have a point." Hermione admitted reluctantly. "Most people would have been smart enough to leave it alone."

"Anyway, you two are all set for the task, right? We've got plans for the evening." Annabeth said brightly. She didn't seem very put off by the talk of monsters and people dying.

"Get gillyweed from Neville." I nodded. "Where're you going?"

"Hogsmeade." Percy said cheerfully. "Everyone says it's amazing."

"But it's not a Hogsmeade weekend for another week." Hermione said. We knew the date, because we were planning to see Sirius. "Students are only allowed off Hogwarts grounds on those weekends."

"We're allowed free roam." Annabeth smiled. "You two take care."

"And good luck!" Percy added as they left.

Hermione was silent for a few moments, then let out a groan.

"What?"

"We _still _don't know where they're from or why they're here."


	7. Lady in the Water

My thanks to all reviewers! I notice, read, and appreciate every review that is left.

Also, any suggestions you wish to make would be welcome! Anything you thought was good, or parts that were a little weak or ideas for what would be a good inclusion... That's the best way to make a better story, get constructive criticism from readers.

That, and I would ask readers to review if they like the story. Last chapter had 900 views, and only 11 people left a review? Lol, come on, a little more feedback would be nice.

Oh, and to ElizabethAnneSoph,who thought it was almost spooky/mysterious how Percy and Annabeth show up at the right time, thanks, haha. I really liked that comment.

* * *

The song, that played in Deathly Hallows Part 1, that Harry and Hermione danced to after Ron left…

_Hey, little train, wait for me, _

_I once was blind but now I see…_

_I'm hanging in there don't you see _

_In this process of elimination…_

Wouldn't that have summarized the story well, if it had taken the proper turn?

* * *

I was outright panicking. Hermione was nowhere to be seen. I had woken up on time, gotten dressed, double-checked the gillyweed Neville had gotten me, and simply could not find her. She was going to miss breakfast at this rate.

"Fred, George!" I called, seeing the twins going back up to the boy's dorm. "Have you seen Hermione?"

"Not since yesterday." One of them said. "You two have a fight?"

"No!" I protested. "Everything was fine. We were going to go down to the lake together." I saw Ron walk down into the Common Room. Desperation overtook me. "Ron, have you seen Hermione anywhere?"

"No." He said shortly, heading through the portrait. The twins sighed at his attitude.

"Well, it shouldn't be too hard to find her." Fred said. (Or was it George?)

"As long as you're up to no good." The other twin winked. "If you'll excuse us, we have to finish betting slips. We're giving you good odds, after that dragon." They vanished to the boy's dorm. I hesitated a moment, then charged after them a moment later.

"He catches on fast enough." One of them laughed. I rummaged through my trunk, looking for the Marauder's Map.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." I muttered, tapping the paper with my wand. The familiar spider-web of lines appeared, forming a detailed layout of Hogwarts. I scanned the map in silence for a minute or two. "She's not here." I said loudly to the twins.

For one of the first times ever, they appeared a little surprised.

"You're barking." One said, taking the map. Two pairs of eyes scanned over the map, then flipped a page. "Just check down near the edge here, at the lake…" They fell silent.

"That's a little strange." One of them admitted. "Maybe she's on one of the lake platforms early, out of sight."

"Why would she go out without waiting for me?" I wondered. They shrugged.

"Just get out there. Champions head to center platform." George? Said. "And good luck!"

"Try to get first or second place." Fred chimed in. "Half the bets will be for Krum, so make sure he doesn't get better than third."

"If you could sink him in the lake we'd be much obliged." George smiled. "Well, see you down there!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx 

Still no Hermione I could barely eat. Most of Gryffindor was supportive, though. Ginny wished me luck. I was feeling ill.

"Harry!" A voice called outside the Great Hall. The Americans, looking bright and energetic.

"Do you know where Hermione is?" I asked immediately.

"Trust me, don't worry about it right now, she's fine." Percy said firmly. "Look, if anything a little odd happens in the lake, go with it. Shouldn't be anything too dramatic, but keep your eyes open. I did some negotiating, you'll be watched over while you're in the water, and her. I'll explain later." I didn't have time to wonder what in the world he meant.

"And take this." Annabeth added quickly, holding out a knife in a leg holster. It looked like something a soldier would carry—not flashy, but serious. "Just in case. It's one of my spares, so don't worry too much if you lose it."

"Will I be needing it?" I asked, accepting. It felt very heavy, very solid.

"Annabeth doesn't loan things that don't come in handy." Percy said, smiling. "Good luck. Do your part and get back to the surface quickly. Don't worry about anyone besides you and your goal."

"Okay." I mumbled, fumbling with the weapon. I already had a holder for my wand on one leg. Percy sighed, then crouched and helped secure the dagger on my calf. "Was Hogsmeade good?" I asked.

"It was amazing." Annabeth grinned. "Percy and I had a _great_ time."

"You get to go next week, right?" Percy asked, standing.

"Yeah." I said. "Maybe Hermione and I will see you two there."

"We can go together, at least for a while." Annabeth smiled. "There's some things that we should talk about. And good luck out there!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"You ready for this?" Moody growled, pulling me out of the boat and onto the platform. I held up a fistful of gillyweed, which looked like green rat tails. He gave a satisfied nod. I glanced over at the other champions. Fleur looked nervous. Krum was just surely. Cedric glanced over and nodded a greeting. Even he looked anxious.

"SILENCE!" Dumbledore called, from one level up on the platform. I was reminded of a muggle oil drilling station. "Last night, something was stolen from each of our champions… a treasure, of sorts. Something each champion would miss very dearly. Now, these four treasures, one for each champion, are on the bottom of the Black Lake. Each champion has one hour to find their treasure, and return to the starting platform." I glanced at the gillyweed again.

"Put that in your mouth." Moody growled under his breath. I obeyed, and started chewing…

…and immediately had to fight the urge to vomit, while going over Dumbledore's words again—and felt a jab of fear clench my gut.

Hermione was on the bottom of the lake! I forced the gillyweed down, intending to demand answers, only to start choking. I couldn't breathe!

The cannon sounded, and the other champions dived neatly into the water. I grabbed my throat, kneeling, trying to breathe, get Professor Moody to help me.

Moody noticed my distress, and helped by promptly shoving me off the platform. I splashed in, gagging…

And then suddenly, I was fine! I looked at my hands. Webbed. Feet had become flippers. It had worked! Triumph beat back the fear I had felt a few minutes earlier. I charged at the surface and flew ten feet into the air, shouting gleefully as I spun back towards the water.

The lake wasn't cold or dark anymore. It was as comfortable as the halls of Hogwarts. I took off away from the platforms, towards the deeper part of the lake. The merpeople had to have Hermione, according to the clue, and they wouldn't be in the shallows. I went deeper, but never started getting that painful feeling of pressure.

It started feeling otherworldly, after a few minutes. Like a part of the earth locked away, or maybe like floating around inside a giant tent… I was losing track of time. I glanced at my watch, but it had stopped.

I had been swimming for a while, when it happened. The water… a current became visible, where none had been a moment earlier, right in front of me. It was flowing off to my right. The water itself had changed color slightly. Not normal.

I swam past it.

And another current formed in front of me, flowing in the same direction the other had. I paused, reached out a hand. It was like a river had formed in the middle of the lake, heading definitely in one direction. I wondered if it was part of the task. Or if there were ghosts, or some sort of spirits on the water...

I went along with it, swimming quickly. I didn't need to waste time if this was a dead end, or just some weird thing that happens in lakes.

As faint merman song drifted towards me, I quickly realized it wasn't a waste. I stared as an underwater city came into view. A merpeople town. I saw houses, mermaids and mermen going about. Several patches looked like gardens, and I even saw a grindylow tied in front of a hut like a pet dog. I looked ahead, and my heart almost stopped. Hermione, Cho, a little girl who looked like Fleur, and one of the Durmstrang students were tied to a statue, thick ropes around their legs. They looked asleep, though a tiny stream of bubbles were coming from their noses. I swam harder, noticing that the current ended at the hostages. Fear and rage coursed through me, anger at the tournament judges, even Dumbledore. They would risk other student's lives for a tournament they hadn't even entered?!I yanked furiously at the rope, before remembering the American girl's gift. The knife slid easily out of the sheath. It didn't seem magical, but it cut through the rope easily enough. I sheathed it, but still couldn't undo the knot around her ankle. I grabbed Hermione's hand, and then paused, looking at the other hostages. How many could I take up at once? I had made good time, following that weird current. Not far off, a flash of yellow caught my eye.

Cedric, with a huge bubble around his mouth like a diving mask. A small beam of light shot through the water from his wand, and the rope around Cho disintegrated. His eyes widened briefly at the sight of my transfiguration. I point at the other two hostages, making an alarmed face. Cedric shook his head rapidly, pointed adamantly at me and Hermione, then pointed up. His meaning was clear. _Take her and go! _

I nodded, then grabbed Hermione and started swimming, up. Cedric was maybe ten yards away, doing the same. The faint light above us became brighter and brighter, until our heads broke water. Hermione woke up the moment the air hit her face.

I immediately started choking. I looked at my hands. Still webbed—I was still too merman to breath air. I dunked my head under and took a breath, then surfaced again.

"You found me!" Hermione tried giving me a hug while in the water. She noticed the gills on my neck. "Gillyweed?"

"Yeah." I managed to gasp, dunking my head under again, resurfaced.

"Harry, you alright?" Cedric called. He and Cho had surfaced a short distance away. Instead of swimming towards the platform, though, he had stopped.

"Fine!" I panted, waving him off. "Get going!" He paused for a moment, but nodded and set off with Cho. The platforms were maybe a hundred yards off, in a more shallow part of the lake.

"The effects haven't worn off yet, have they?" Hermione studied me.

"What happened? What about the others?" I gasped, looking back down. If Fleur and Krum didn't make it…

"Don't be ridiculous, Harry." Hermione shook her head. "It's a spell. They won't drown. If champions don't find their treasures in time, the merpeople will bring them to the surface before the charm wears off." She paused to catch her breath, and reached down to undo the rope still tied to her leg. "Can we please get back to the platforms? I'm freezing!"

"Grab my shoulders." I managed to pant. "Like a person on a dolphin. " Hermione laughed, but put her hands on my shoulders. I kicked with flippered feet, and we took off. We went under the water for a few yards, then I kicked into the air, trying to give Hermione enough time to get air. We neared the platform, and I could hear shouts go up from the spectators, along with some laughs at the sight we were. Three quarters of the way there, I could feel the gillyweed fading away. My feet shifted, fingers returned to normal, and I almost drowned myself trying to breathe underwater. Hermione noticed immediately and let go, treading water next to me as I gagged.

"Can you make it?" She asked. I nodded.

We resumed swimming, slowly. Well, Hermione was swimming, I was doing a weird sort of doggy paddle. I didn't have the strength left to freestroke. We made it to the platform amid excited shouting. Moody reached down and yanked me up, while Cedric pulled Hermione onboard.

"Not too shabby." Moody growled, thumping me on the back.

"You were brilliant!" Hermione chirped, hugging me. I kissed her. "Second place by four minutes!"

"Nicely done." Cedric congratulated me. "I almost thought you were a merman, at first."

"Thanks. You were great, too." I told him. Cho was shivering and trying to dry off. Someone handed me and Hermione a towel.

I scanned the platforms. With Hermione and I, along with Cedric and Cho back, all the houses were cheering wildly except one. Draco and the Slytherins were rooting for Krum, and seemed highly disappointed that Cedric and I were alive.

Another shout went up, and Fleur surfaced a short distance away, holding the little girl. The Beaubaxtons let up a cheer.

"Harry, where'd you get that?" Hermione asked curiously, looking at my leg. I had almost forgotten about the knife.

"No prizes for guessing…"


	8. The Beginning of Answers

She can find him—even when he wants to be invisible. And she'll never let him go on alone.

_"I'll go with you!"_

_"When are you going to get it into your head, we're in this together!"_

* * *

It felt like a long wait to the Hogsmeade weekend. At least I didn't need a Dursley to sign the sheet for me: Sirius had sent me a signed permission slip by owl post last summer, which I carefully brought back to Hogwarts.

I didn't care to try it with McGonagall, so I asked Dumbledore himself, showing him the slip. He said it was good enough for him. I never saw him bring it up with Professor McGonagall, but that Hogsmeade weekend she just waved me past and said,

"I already have your permission form, Potter." I hesitated, but her face was a neutral mask.

"Harry." Hermione tugged at my arm. I was clogging up the line.

"Oh, right. Thanks, Professor." I managed.

And just like that, we were off towards Hogsmeade. It wasn't snowing, but it was still a cold day, the wind holding a bite. The pack of food on my back helped shield the wind—we had asked the house elves for some extra food, so we could bring Sirius lunch, if not dinner too.

"You got your form signed?" Hermione asked, breaking the silence.

"Remember, last year on the train?" I recalled, smiling. "Sirius sent me a signed note saying I could go to Hogsmeade." Hermione burst out laughing.

"You actually handed that in?" She grinned. I shrugged.

"To Dumbledore, actually. He accepted it." I said brightly. "Sirius'll love hearing that."

"We're meeting him at the end of that road, right?" Hermione confirmed.

"The sooner the better." I readjusted the backpack. "Think he could go to the Three Broomsticks with us as a dog?"

"Yes barman, we'll have two butterbeers, with some ginger in mine, and a glass of wine for the dog." Hermione joked. "We could ask him. He'd probably love to spend the time with you."

_An hour later...  
_

"This whole thing smells." Sirius groaned, leaning back against the cave wall and helping himself to another piece of chicken. "There has to be a plan. Whoever put your name in that cup wasn't doing it for a laugh. And if the Durmstrang Headmaster isn't behind it…"

"Then it has to be someone else." Hermione finished.

"This is exactly what troubles me. Malfoy isn't even there." Sirius rubbed his forehead. "Noticed anything else odd?"

"There's these two American students who showed up. Percy and Annabeth." I said. "Dumbledore let them come. They helped us figure out how to do the second task. We first saw them at the Yule Ball."

"How old are they?" Sirius asked.

"Both look seventeen or eighteen." Hermione said, cutting Sirius off before he could draw any assumptions about them being Death Eaters. "They've helped us, **and** Dumbledore knows them. He wanted to talk to them in private at the ball."

"Well, Dumbledore brought in Moody, maybe he wants more eyes on Hogwarts grounds, helping out." Sirius pondered.

"Hey, want to spend the day with us in Hogsmeade?" I asked. "You'd have to be the dog, but still… and you could meet the Americans, Percy said he would see us in Hogsmeade."

"Well, I would like to see the Three Broomsticks again." Sirius laughed. "Though I don't suppose they'd let you order the dog a firewhiskey yet, would they?"

"Come with us." Hermione smiled. "You can be our dog Padfoot." We all burst out laughing at that.

"You've convinced me." He grinned. "Do you want to meet up somewhere, or just go back to Hogsmeade together?"

"Just go back with us." I said. "C'mon, Hermione." I gestured for us to step outside. Seeing people change from human to animal was always disturbing. A few seconds later, a huge black dog joined us outside the cave. Hermione petted him on the head, and we set off back down the mountain. Not the most fun part of our day…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

"Harry! Hermione!" I heard the now-familiar voice of Percy call. The two Americans were just down the alley. Hermione waved, smiled.

"Oh, a dog." Percy noticed. "What's his name?"

"Padfoot." Hermione grinned. "Saved our lives once." Percy scratched Sirius behind the ears kindly.

"I've got a dog back home, Mrs. O'Leary." He grinned. "Also a lifesaver."

"Want to go to the Three Broomsticks?" Annabeth invited us. "We'll treat."

"Sounds good." I said. I had more than enough money to pay, but it was always better to accept offers. Declining would've been rude.

"We've got a lot to talk about." Percy sighed. "I wish it was just for fun. Annabeth and I, we always get to go to the most amazing places, but it's never just fun."

"Not true!" Annabeth objected playfully. "We went to the Bahamas last year. That was fun."

"Most of the time." Percy corrected himself.

"We might want to go somewhere else, if it's serious talk." Hermione offered. "Three Broomsticks is usually crowded." The Americans hesitated for a moment.

"Crowded is better." Annabeth said. "Makes it impossible to be overheard." Sirius gave a friend bark and licked her hand. She laughed. "Your friend must like the Broomsticks more." It was probably her thinking he liked—it sounded like something he would say.

"By the way, I didn't lose the knife you lent me, Annabeth." I remembered. "It's back in my trunk, though."

"Did you dry it off after the task?" Annabeth asked.

"I took it out, put it in the sun to dry." I was pleased to say I could.

"Thanks. I'll get it later." She said cheerfully.

"You know how amazing this town is?" Percy looked around again. We were all in high spirits. "Every shop has something amazing. Back home at camp, magic items are rare. You're lucky to have one, and it's usually a gift or reward."

"Like what?" Hermione asked curiously.

"Our head counselor gave me a pen that turns into a sword." He held up a gold ball point pen. "Celestial bronze. Very effective against most enemies. Won't hurt normal people, though."

"Better to discuss all of this over a meal." Annabeth sighed. "It can take a little time." The Three Broomsticks was just up ahead.

"So you ever patch things up with your friend?" Percy asked. I felt a little sour.

"No." I said shortly. "He's not an easy person to deal with."

"What's his problem?" Percy asked. I looked questioningly at him. Percy clarified himself. "Some people, anger, jealousy, different stuff. What's his problem, really?"

"I think you Americans call it an inferiority complex." Hermione remarked. "He's not very sure of himself. Poor family, and he's child number… five, I think?"

"That's not so hard to deal with." Annabeth said brightly. "Think you can help him, Seaweed Brain?" She was addressing Percy, but it was a playful joke, not an insult.

"Joy." He sighed. "Come'on, let's get lunch." He pushed open the door of the Broomsticks, and we entered. Madam Rosmerta greeted us, and we found ourselves a table amidst the crowd. I wasn't sure if she hadn't noticed Sirius, or just didn't mind dogs.

"What can I get you?" She asked us. She noticed Percy and Annabeth. "Ah, nice to see you two back again."

"Good to be back." Percy said. "I'll have a fruit smoothie, the chicken sandwich, and a steak for my canine friend here." I don't know if dogs can grin, but Sirius looked like he was. Annabeth ordered another 'smoothie' along with shepherd's pie. Hermione and I got ourselves some butterbeers, and our favorite dishes.

"I didn't know they had muggle drinks like smoothies here." Hermione remarked.

"What is a smoothie?" I asked curiously. Three pairs of eyes turned to me. The Americans looked amazed.

"We don't have them much in the wizarding community." Hermione said, trying not to smile. "Harry, smoothies are a mixture of fruit, honey, and usually milk. My parents love them, because don't mess up your teeth nearly as much as ice cream or soda."

"What do your parents do?" Annabeth asked conversationally.

"They're dentists." Hermione said. Thankfully, it was clear they both knew what dentists were.

"Not bad." Annabeth smiled a little. "If you don't mind your clients dreading seeing you. Isn't it a bit harder in Britain, though? I mean, compared to the States. I heard there's a **lot** more regulation in healthcare. Though we'll soon have tons more of that back in America…"

"Yeah." Hermione said. "The office they work at has three people full time who just deal with paperwork and stuff, not even scheduling people. So what do your parents do?"

"My dad's a historian. He teaches military history, and writes in his spare time." Annabeth explained. "Not bad, if you don't mind all his models and photographs everywhere. He loves researching." Both girls glanced to Percy.

"My mom's a fiction writer." He said. "Nothing big enough that you've heard of it." Something dawned on me and Hermione at the same time.

"So… what about your other parents?" Hermione asked hesitantly. Percy rubbed his forehead, sighing.

"This is where it gets interesting." He said.


	9. Answers

This chapter is more of an explanation, as to a few unanswered questions. And I realized that while I was sticking with a Percy Jackson styled guest appearance, it was a little too much for this story, so this is an edited chapter of what was posted before. Apologies for the delay, and read and review if you like it!

* * *

"What?" Hermione asked warily. Percy just rubbed his forehead, looking up in time to see Madam Rosmerta bringing our food over. She set down a variety of plates and cups.

"Thank you." Annabeth said politely. Rosmerta left, and Percy sighed.

"Now for the fun part." He said, putting a large steak on the ground for Sirius. I think it was American sarcasm.

"What?" Hermione asked again, taking a sip of her butterbeer. The Americans glanced at each other.

"We're not going to go into every detail here." Percy said. "But we'll give you the main points."

"Could you just tell us?!" I snapped, my patience running out.

"Well, for starters, we can't use magic, not in the way you can." Annabeth said, cutting into her shepherd's pie. "There are a few people at our camp who can. But most of us can't use incantations and make things happen."

"Camp Half-Blood, in New York." Percy added. "That's where we're from."

"So... only half-bloods are allowed?" I asked, feeling a bit put off. "That's pretty biased."

"No, actually." Annabeth corrected. "It's a name, not a requirement. We allow a pretty wide range of campers, even wider than what you allow here."

"And only some of you can do magic?" Hermione asked, looking surprised. "Then why do you let other people in who can't?"

"The few that can are pretty powerful." Percy said darkly. "What you call Dark Arts is most of what they can do. But that's a topic for another day. Each cabin has their own unique talents, some magical, some just useful."

"So who started this camp?" I asked.

"Chiron. Long ago." Annabeth cut in. "But we're not here to write a book for you."

"So what sort of magic do you have, at your camp?" I persisted curiously. The Americans sighed, and Percy took out a pen I had seen him play with before. It looked normal, a gold-colored ball point pen, like the sort a businessman would carry.

"This was a gift, _Anaklusmos._ A good weapon." Percy said, clicking the end. The pen suddenly shifted, extended, and turned into a short bronze sword, like the sort Romans or Greeks carried in history books. Witches and wizards were gaping, but Percy didn't seem to notice.

"_Anaklusmos_?" Hermione repeated, not recognizing the word.

"Riptide. The current that takes one by surprise. And before you know it, you have been swept out to sea." Percy said. He hesitated, and I saw a flicker of sadness cross his face.

"Is there a story that goes with that?" Hermione asked, sounding a little more gentle. Percy looked away for a moment, his eyes scanning the crowd around the bar.

"Life's short. One day, it's gone." He said quietly. "Savor every moment you get."

Sirius broke the silence with that sad sort of sigh dogs can do, and sympathetically nuzzled his head against Percy's side. He smiled faintly.

"Okay." I played with my butterbeer. "So you're from an American camp. Why are you here at Hogwarts?"

"We were given a prophecy." Annabeth said carefully, looking around like she expected to see a wizard eavesdropping. "A quest." She handed Hermione a small roll of paper. She turned it so I could read as well.

_The victor shall die by the traitor's hand, _

_A riddle returned to ravage the land,_

_His soul you must destroy part by part,_

_Or return to find your home torn apart._

"We were baffled, at first. But Chiron—head of our camp—knew what happened with Voldemort here years ago." Percy explained.

" 'A riddle returned' Riddle was Voldemort's old name." I said, scanning it. "So you think Voldemort is going to return?"

"Not us." Annabeth said seriously. "The Oracle of Delphi"

"Oracle?" Hermione laughed. "Like a seer?"

"Like that old crone in your castle, with the huge glasses?" Annabeth sighed. "No. The Oracle of Delphi is never wrong. It **is** possible for a prophecy to be prevented, but it's incredibly difficult, and trying to change fate usually gets someone killed, or worse. This prophecy is different from a lot of others, though, because it gives options. If we **don't** 'destroy part by part' we'll find home torn apart."

"Meaning, if he's not beaten here, he'll come after Camp Half-Blood too." Percy commented helpfully. "So we can hard"

"And it doesn't say if you'll stand or fall, it says that we'll decide. Which might mean that this prophecy is not set in stone. Things can be saved. We can might be able to save 'the victor' too, as soon as we find out who it is. It has to be one of the other three contestants—because you're mentioned separately from the victor."

"The traitor?" I mused. "Peter Pettigrew?"

"Who's that?" Percy asked, sipping his smoothie cautiously.

"He betrayed Harry's parents to Voldemort." Hermione explained. Annabeth and Percy exchanged looks.

"Probably." Annebeth mused. "We could send a team to hunt him down."

"He has to be around Hogwarts." Percy remarked. "How else could he kill the victor?" He glanced at us. "You know what the third task is?"

"Something to do with why the Quidditch field has become a forest?" I asked.

"A maze, with the triwizard cup at the finish line." Annabeth said. "Assuming security is tight, how could Pettigrew kill someone once they got the cup?"

"You can't apparate into Hogwarts." Hermione objected. "And there's no way he could get onto the grounds. Dumbledore or Ministry officials would have found him by now. And we would have seen him on the map."

"The map?" Percy asked.

"I have a map, that my father helped make, along with a few friends, when he was a student." I explained quietly. I wasn't sure if they needed to know about Sirius. "It's a detailed map of Hogwarts, and shows every person that's on the grounds, where they are, what they're doing, anytime day or night."

Annabeth flushed a little, suddenly looking embarrassed.

"You can see everyone, in real time, at all times?" She asked. Percy looked down, like he was trying not to laugh.

"When I use it." I confirmed. "I haven't been taking it out much. I used it right before the second task, and a few times here and there."

"Oh. Okay." Annabeth said, looking a little relieved. "Have you seen Pettigrew on it?"

"No. But I'll check as soon as we get back." I shrugged.

"Pettigrew knew that was how we found him out, last year." Hermione objected. "He wouldn't be so stupid as to risk it again."

"Then are there any other ways for them to get here and kill the victor?" Percy asked. "Maybe Pettigrew's not here."

"I think they do have a death eater here." I recalled. "Hermione, remember during the ball? Igor was panicking about the dark mark. So it's not him. But they have to have someone else here."

"Is there any magical booby traps around, that would work even if the maze has high security?" Percy asked. "Could the death eater put a curse on the cup, so whoever touches it first dies?"

"Maybe." Hermione conceded. "Or… _oh_."

"What?" Annabeth noticed her look.

"I think you can use a portkey to leave Hogwarts, and maybe to get into it. You just touch a portkey, and you'll can be transported a hundred miles away. I read about times it happened." She whispered. "_Portus_ is the charm to make something into a portkey. What if—"

"The cup is a portkey." Percy, Annabeth and I all said in unison.

"That still doesn't solve who Riddle's man here is." Percy sighed. "Could we study the map?"

"It would be a waste of time." Hermione shook her head. "We've got a bunch of Durmstrang students _and_ Beaubaxton students _and _a bunch of ministry officials. Any of them could be Death Eaters, or under the imperious curse. And the wizards arrested for supporting him before, a lot of them claimed being under the imperious curse and were let go. A lot of them were respectable and could be here. We'll never know who the death eater here is, even with the map."

"We have to focus on the last task then." Annabeth poked at her food. "It's the only way to approach this, and it has to be the plan to kill you. Otherwise, why would they put your name in the cup? It would just draw attention to your death." She looked confident. "They plan to kill you during the third task, and whoever is behind this will want everyone to know you're dead."

"Great. So according to your prophecy, I'm not going to win, and whoever does will get killed." I hated to pout, but I was feeling sick, thinking of the final task. "And if I quit, I'll shame Gryffindor and Hogwarts." Sirius licked my hand consolingly.

"Calm down." Percy said flatly. "Annabeth and I have been through worse. We're going to do our best to stop this."

"Harry, we've got permission to roam freely." Annabeth tried to console me. "We're not going to just let this happen."

"Are you going to be in the maze during the task?" Hermione asked. She sounded a little worried. "Can you save the victor?"

"We'll give it a shot." Percy said. "Is there any spell to reveal other spells that you can use? Like, to see if someone put a trap around the cup, or turned it into a portkey?"

"I'll ask Dumbledore to teach me." I nodded. Silence fell around the table. Everyone looked tired and worn out after that discussion.

"So." Annabeth said brightly. "Um… you two have plans for the summer?" We all laughed, but I still appreciated her attempt to break the seriousness. Hermione took a long draught of her butterbeer. I suddenly felt hungry again and returned to my food. We were all tucking in again, though the food had gotten cold.

"You know, for Yanks, you two are pretty great." I said. Percy accidentally spewed butterbeer towards another table, he was laughing so hard.

" 'For Yanks'?" He asked, grinning. "What, do Brits think, 'Oh, stupid Americans' and all that?" Hermione looked sheepish.

"Well, some English have bad impression of Americans." She said diplomatically. "But you two are brilliant. Not at all like what people say." Annabeth and Percy looked highly amused.

"So we break the stereotype." Annabeth smiled. "Are we officially friends then?"

"Definitely." I returned her smile. I offered a hand to Percy. "Official friend?" He kept laughing, but shook my hand firmly. Hermione followed suit with Annabeth, all of us laughing like idiots.

"Seriously." Percy said warmly, looking at us. "I'm glad to have met you both, no matter how this goes."

"What was that, 'Thank God for that' when she said only a few people at your camp can do magic?" Hermione recalled. Percy looked embarrassed.

"The wizards of our world don't use magic like you guys do." She explained. "None of this, making things float, or summoning things, magic candy, stuff like that. Magic is either for combat or just horrific."

"What, have you two had to fight dark arts before?" Hermione asked.

"Ever heard of Circe, the sorceress?" Percy asked darkly.


	10. A Twist in the Maze

A fairly short update, and I realize it's been a while. Sorry about that, things got a bit crazy/busy for me, some personal stuff. Hope you enjoy! BTW... 229 followers, 120 favorites, 31 thousand views? Thank you guys very much for reading the story! I'm honored so many people enjoyed it.

* * *

I've never wanted to quit something more in my life. Even more than Divination class.

But I was still a Triwizard Champion, and Gryffindor would be shamed for a long time if their champion just quit, when he was so close to winning. Cowardice was what Slytherin's did. Not us.

"Remember the charms." Hermione said nervously. The path to the Quidditch field—the new maze—hadn't seemed so long when I was going there to join the team.

"And hope that no one shows up." I muttered. "They've probably got an some awful stuff in there."

"Yeah, but can't be worse than a dragon." Hermione said lightly.

"At least the cup should be alright…" I remembered. "Professor Dumbledore said Moody will check it and put it in the maze himself."

* * *

We waited, in the tent, as crowds gathered, and the right officials showed up. I surveyed the other champions. The wild cards were Fluer and Krum—I knew Cedric wouldn't be in on anything. The Durmstrang headmaster knew_ something_, but if anything, being afraid of Voldemort was good character evidence. I hesitated, glanced around. I could hear the crowd getting louder, heard announcements begin.

"A word?" I asked Cedric, jerking my head towards the corner. He hesitated, but walked over.

"Something up?" He asked in a low voice.

"Be on your guard." I warned. "There's reason to believe that there's a death eater, here, on school grounds, and he might be out to sabotage the tournament." Cedric gave me a look.

"Such as?" He asked.

"Kill a champion?" I offered. "Be careful."

"Are you barking?" He hissed. "You can't be serious."

"Completely." I retorted. "Just as serious when I told you we'd be facing dragons." That made him pause. He glanced around, looking at the contestants before shutting his eyes for a moment. When he looked at me again he didn't show any sign of disbelief.

"If needed… will we work together?" He asked. "Can I count on you?" I smiled faintly, half-amused at the irony of how this tournament was going, even though we were possibly going to be murdered in the process. As much as everyone in Hogwarts—Slytherine aside—would cheer if **both** of us worked together, it would probably offend Durmstrang and the Beaubaxton girls so much they'd never want to come back.

"Yes." I said, offering a hand. Cedric shook it firmly.

* * *

I wasn't really scared until I saw an acromantula. A magically bred spider big enough to eat a person, or a horse. It clacked its pincers and rushed at me.

"_Incendio!_" I shouted. I had aimed at the ground in front of it, but it had rushed forward and been hit straight on by the curse. It stopped charging though, as it was now on fire.

I ran, turning a corner and fleeing down the hedge-corridor as fast as I could. It met another path, and now I had three possible ways to go. I picked straight, not noticing the odd shimmering.

My world abruptly turned upside down. Literally. I froze in shock. Below my feet, the stars stretched out on a perfectly flat sky, as if I was walking upside down on the magic ceiling in the Great Hall. Above my head was grass. I mentally tried to run through the charms and curses Hermione and I had practiced. I could only remember two through the panic, but I was pretty sure none of them dealt with the world turning upside down.

I slowly reached up, trying to grab some branches of the hedge, while curling my feet upwards to meet the grassy sky…

And fell over, the world righting itself as abruptly as it had reversed. I took a few shay breaths and stood up as quickly as I could, hoping no one had seen that.

The screams almost made me jump. It was sheer shriek of agony, followed by bellows of rage.

I blasted my way through the hedge wall, and dove through the hole, finding myself in the middle of the chaos. The two Americans, and Krum, of all people. Annabeth was already on the ground—it had been her shriek I had heard. Percy was standing between her and Krum.

"_Crucio_!" Krum roared, sending a curse at Percy, who deflected it off the blade of his sword before simply hurling it at Krum like a huge throwing knife.

Krum easily summoned a shield charm, blocking it, only for Percy to full on body-slam him, knocking the wand out of Krum's grasp. I ran forward just as Krum managed to throw Percy off.

"_Stupefy!_" I shouted, hitting Krum squarely in the chest. He collapsed. Percy regained his feet and somehow had the sword in his hands again, raising it for a blow. I grabbed him before he could finish Krum off. "No! The Ministry will punish him!" I shouted. "You can't just kill him now, it'd be murder!" Percy backed off, his attention turning to Annabeth. The girl shakily regained her feet, looking weak, barely able to stand. Percy grabbed her under the shoulders, saving her from falling down.

"That hurt." She muttered faintly.

"It's an unforgivable curse." I said, looking at Krum again. I couldn't believe it. Even if they had scared him, I couldn't believe he'd use an unforgivable curse, just to win a tournament…

"It felt like I was in lava." Annabeth said weakly. "Like every part of my body was in agony, every nerve on fire."

"I'm getting you out of here." Percy said firmly, picking her up. "You need to see a doctor."

"People have been tortured into insanity, with that curse." I said, looking around. "To use it on another person—automatic life sentence in Azkaban."

"They should make it stricter." Annabeth managed to say. The girl looked shaken. "Execution, maybe."

"Who are you two?" Another voice asked. All three of us turned to see Cedric Diggory staring at us. "What happened to Krum?" We paused for a moment, Percy and Annabeth exchanging a look. Percy abruptly turned and carried Annabeth away.

"Two students from America, helping with the tournament. They were patrolling to make sure nothing happened…" I explained lamely. "Krum attacked them. Used _crucio_."

"You're barking!" Cedric looked shocked.

"No." I told him. I looked around, feeling a little exposed knowing that the Americans had just left and wouldn't be back. It had been nice knowing two extra people were watching out for me.

"Well, good luck." Cedric said, and walked off, vanishing around a corner. It took me a second to realize we were still competing for a fortune and "eternal glory" for the winner. I shook off my surprise, sent up red sparks so the Professors could find Krum, and ran off down another hedge row, not following Cedric.

* * *

There it was... I froze for a moment, staring at the glow. The Triwizard Cup. I couldn't believe it, I had gotten there before Cedric or Fleur…

As if summoned by thought, I heard footsteps, and turned to see Fleur stumble out around a hedge aisle.

She looked at me, amazed. I looked at her, the cup, and remembered the warnings of Percy and Annabeth.

"Wait!" I commanded, holding my hands up. "The cup might be cursed."

She took off running towards it, and I charged after her. I caught up with her halfway down the aisle, grabbed her, and shoved her into the side of the hedge.

"Fleur, listen to me, the cup might be cursed!" I shouted. She raised her wand, making me do the same.

"_Accio!_"She shouted, her French accent making it harder to understand. I turned, looking as the cup sailed towards us. I jumped in front of her, she grabbed my shoulder and tried to push me aside, the cup touched my hand—

And the earth fell away, the world twisting and shifting. I hit the ground and felt grass, heard Fleur shout in surprise. I opened my eyes, looked around.

A grave, with a statue of a grim reaper/angel cross standing over it. I read the name off. _Riddle._ Alarm surged through me, a feeling of horror settling on me. I remembered flaming words written in a chamber by a boy only a bit older than me…

"Where are we?" Fleur asked, barely understandable through her accent. I stood, raised my wand.

"Riddle—Riddle is Voldemort's real name." I said quickly, trying to resist the urge to yell or shot. "The name on the grave-it has to be his father."

"Impossible." Fleur said, fear showing on her face.

"Maybe not." A chuckling, rat-like voice remarked. We both spun. A man in a robe was walking towards us, holding something in his arms.

"Kill the spare." A snake-like voice hissed. The man raised his wand.

"_Avada-_" The man began.

"_Stupefy!_" I yelled quickly.

"_Reducto_!" Fleur screamed.


	11. Chapter 11

_My apologies for taking so long to update. A lot has been going on, combined with how I had 18 hours of classes this semester at college... here's a short chapter, just to help me get back into the swing of things. _

* * *

_Purpose is what drives us, and conflict provides purpose in abundance.—_Unknown

* * *

I couldn't see if the spells hit the man or not, but they combined to make quite an explosion, throwing a cloud of dirt and smoke in the air. Fleur ran for the cup. I aimed at where the man had been.

"_Bombarda!_" I shouted again, creating another explosion.

"Get over here!" Fleur shouted, crouching next to the Trizwizard Cup. "We have to get away!" I scanned the graveyard, then turned and ran for the cup. Fleur grabbed my arm and then grabbed the cup—in an instant, we were away again, spiraling through nothingness, and then the ground hit us as we landed at the entrance to the maze, to bursts of applause, cheering, and trumpets.

"What was that?" Fleur demanded, grabbing me by the shoulders and yanking me up. She was several years older than me, you know. I noticed, behind her, that Dumbledore, Moody, and Fudge were running over. I wondered where Hermione was.

"Professor!" I yelled to be heard over the cheering. Dumbledore actually looked fairly pleased, unknowing that someone had tried to kill us. Well, me or Fleur, whoever the "spare" had been.

"Congratulations, both of you!" Minister Fudge shouted, grabbing Fleur's hand and shaking it. "I believe this is the first duel win the tournament has ever seen!" She yanked her hand back.

"A man was there, he tried to use the killing curse on one of us!" Fleur shouted.

"It was the Riddle graveyard, professor!" I added. "A man in a hood, carrying something in his arms."

_Two Hours Later…_

"It wasn't Voldemort who tried to kill you. At least, he wasn't the man who held the wand." Dumbledore said carefully. "If he had returned to normal form by now, there would be signs, if only missing people."

"Maybe we were going to be those missing people." Fleur snapped angrily, her French accent getting thicker. "How did a Death Eater curse the Triwizard cup in the first place?"

"Only Professor Moody and myself were able to touch the cup before it was placed in the maze." Dumbledore said slowly. "Someone must have infiltrated the maze before you two arrived at the finish."

"The voice… the voice that hissed, 'kill the spare' was the same voice in my dream, during the summer. It sounded like it was coming from whatever the man was holding." I said. Fleur gave me an odd look.

"It seems possible that—"

An explosion made the Headmaster stop. He drew his wand immediately, striding out into the hallway. I could hear a few shouts, curses. Fleur and I glanced at each other, then followed Dumbledore.

He was standing with Professor Snape, looking down at—

"Professor Moody!" I gasped, running forward. Dumbledore stopped me.

"When I told him you were not allowing anyone to enter while talking to Potter, he drew his wand and tried to kill me." Snape said quietly.

"He would never do that!" I objected. Snape gave me a hateful stare, but Dumbledore held up a hand. Before us, the huge form of Alastor Moody was… bubbling, shrinking into a crazed looking younger man.

"Barty Crouch Junior." Snape remarked coldly. "Curious, he was buried at Azkaban a year or two ago."

"How could he…" Fleur began.

"Polyjuice potion." Dumbledore said. Snape nodded in agreement.

"He must have cursed the Triwizard Cup." Snape commented. "But he would need fresh hairs regularly to have made so many batches of polyjuice potion." The two professors glanced at each other, and started walking rapidly towards Professor Moody's office. Fleur and I followed. When we arrived at his office, Dumbledore calmly waved his wand, and the door opened silently. It was full of creepy and useful weapons and tools. The two professors looked around for a brief second, then strode to the huge trunk set against the wall. Dumbledore opened it, then shut it and clicked a knob, then opened again.

And again. And again.

Then he stopped. "Severus." He gestured into the trunk, and Snape looked down into it. Whatever he saw made him stride out the office, and down the hall.

"What is it?" Fleur asked.

"Professor Moody. Somewhat worse for the wear, but alive." Dumbledore said, relief in his voice. Fleur and I looked over, into the trunk.

It seemed to go fifteen feet into the ground, at least. At the bottom, a man shivered in his sleep, missing a leg, and an eye. Behind me, the door opened again and Madam Pomfrey came in, a stretcher floating along behind her.

"What are students doing here?!" She huffed. "Professor Snape told me a man in a trunk needs help."

"Quite right." Dumbledore said. "Severus, would you be so kind as to return out champions to their quarters?"

"Certainly, Headmaster." Snape said flatly, taking about ten seconds to say the two words. I wondered how long it would take him to give a speech, such as the sort Muggle politicians did on television.

He'd probably die of old age before finishing, I concluded. He took us back to Dumbledore's office to leave Fleur with her headmistresses, then walked briskly towards Gryffindor tower with me.

"Professor Snape." A weak voice said behind us. He turned, to see the Americans. The girl was speaking. "What's up?"

"The headmaster has asked me to see these him back to his quarters." Snape said flatly.

"We'll walk him back." Percy said. "I'm sure you have better things to do."

"Indeed." Snape said, leaving.

"You okay?" Annabeth asked.

"Me?" I asked, eyebrows raised. "It wasn't me hit with a cruciatus curse. Are **you** alright?"

"The two of us are made of tough stuff." Percy smiled faintly. "C'mon. We'll walk you back to your dorm. Hermione's there."

"Snape seemed to know you." I remembered. "He isn't nearly that kind to me."

"We met Snape when we met Dumbledore." Annabeth said quietly. "He's a decent guy." I gave her a look.

"_Decent_?" I repeated. "He's _evil_."

"No, he's not." Percy said tiredly. "We heard what happened when you and Fleur touched the cup, and Moody… this place was infiltrated."

"That requires coordination, planning, determination." Annabeth said. She looked almost normal, even though she had been hit with an unforgivable curse a short while earlier. "What's weird is, why didn't the fake Moody kill you? He had a long time to do it."

"I don't know." I said uneasily. "Maybe Voldemort wanted to do it himself, at the graveyard."

"Perhaps." Percy said. "Maybe he wanted to show his followers you're not strong enough to challenge him? Eh. It leaves a lot unanswered." We waited for one of the moving staircases to shift, and climbed up towards the Fat Lady. I gave the password, and she swung open, revealing the little passageway. _Poor protection if someone had a blasting curse and wanted to get through,_ I reflected. I glanced back at the two Americans.

"Coming?" I asked. They shook their heads.

"Sorry, other plans." Annabeth said. "See you around." With that, they left. I wondered if I would see them again.


	12. Chapter 12

The next day, the matter of settling the competition arose. Apparently, Fleur and I appearing before the judges together was a new thing for the Triwizard Tournament. In the end, they declared it a tie for first place, and we split the glory. And the thousand galleon prize.

The downside was, we still needed to find out what exactly had happened in the maze. None of us, even Fleur and I, knew.

Which was why I had been summoned to Headmaster's grand office, escorted my McGonagall. She gave the password, and the Gargoyle moved aside, letting us up the stairway. I was relieved for the fifth time that Hermione had volunteered to go with me, and that McGonagall had not objected.

"I brought him, Headmaster." She announced, striding ahead of us into the office. "We can begin." I looked around—there was Snape, Dumbledore, the three of us that had just arrived—and the two Americans, naturally. Percy nodded a terse greeting, and Annabeth walked over, speaking quietly to Hermione, the two seeming quite comfortable with each other. I wondered how it always seemed that girls became nearly best friends so quickly—but then again, they became enemies faster than blokes, too.

"Why isn't Fleur here, Professor?" I asked.

"Her Headmistresses did not wish to be involved, after receiving pressure from the ministry to not investigate the incident." Dumbledore said. "However—Fleur was kind enough to donate her memories to aid us."

"It **is **just a copy of our memories, right?" Percy asked, looking distrustfully at the Pensieve. "Magic like that is usually pretty risky, back home."

"It doesn't remove the memories from your head, if that's what you are asking." McGonagell remarked, looking at Percy the same way she looked at failing students. He shrugged.

"So if that's the traitor Wormtail, what is he holding?" Percy asked. The six of us were standing around the Riddle graveyard. Oddly, so was another Harry and Fleur, as we were in the memory, of course.

"That is the question…" Dumbledore mused.

"This is definitely the sort of place to bring a spirit back to the living world." Annabeth mused.

"Hopefully you aren't talking from experience." Hermione commented. Annabeth shrugged, not replying.

"The fact that it is the Riddle graveyard must hold quite a bit of significance." Professor McGonnagal said, reading the inscriptions on the statue, again. "They could have been taken anywhere. Why did the Portkey lead here? Either for the symbolism of murdering 'the boy who lived' at the Riddle graveyard, or…"

"No." Hermione shook her head. "He… Voldemort hates his father. He wouldn't take a hated enemy there."

"There are a variety of spells that could use a bone or body part from a dead father." Dumbledore mused.

"Indeed." Snape said, looking at the Triwizard Cup. "Strange that the portkey led back to the tournament."

"The little thing has to be Voldemort." Percy said abruptly, pacing around the frozen Wormtail, staring at the bundle. Neither Fleur nor myself had seen it closely, so the memory was blurred there. "Somehow. Unless someone gave birth to baby Satan. What else explains it?"

McGonnagel and Snape had… _interesting_ expressions at Percy's comment, while Hermione looked half amused/half grossed out.

"Tell me, Jackson, have you had many dealings with dark magic?" Snape asked curtly. Apparently his comment had frustrated the slight non-hatred Snape had displayed for the Americans earlier.

"Too many." Percy sighed. "And every time it gets worse."

"Like what?" Hermione asked.

"The Labyrinth, for one. I had to kill the arena master, Antaeus. **That** was horrible." Percy shook his head. I was surprised. I wasn't sure what he was referring to, but I understood the part about having to kill someone. Oddly, Snape's face did not betray any puzzlement in the least.

"I don't think this memory will tell us much more than we know." Dumbledore said, not sounding very disturbed at anything he had seen or heard.

* * *

You know those idle days when school is out and you suddenly have almost nothing to do? While classes were in you kept wishing for some free time, but when it happens, you don't know what to do with it.

It still happens even when someone tried to murder you. I was at least a bit glad that Fleur wasn't killed. Or me.

And unlike previous summers, I had something to look forward to, for once. I wasn't going back to the Dursley's. I was going to the Granger's this year—and hopefully next year I'd be spending my summer at the Black residence, once Sirius didn't have to keep running.

Both of agreed it might be best to not inform Professor McGonagal or Dumbledore about this little arrangement.

And Ron was still bitter at me. I wasn't quite sure how to fix it, or if it was really important. After studying what Fleur and I remembered in the Pensieve, the three professors had agreed that the small creature Wormtail had been holding had indeed been Voldemort… and they seemed of the opinion that if he was somehow brought back into a normal body, fixing that body wouldn't be too difficult for him. Percy and Annabeth had been even more worried, acting fairly confident that Voldemort would be 'back in the game' within a few months.

* * *

"Almost ready, Harry?" Hermione was suddenly in the doorway of the boy's dorm. "There's not much time left." I put a few more items in my trunk, glancing around the room, at Hermione.

"Everytime I leave, it feels like I'm leaving home." I commented, a little mournfully. "And next year… who knows what will happen."

"Doesn't really matter." Hermione remarked, smiling. I raised an eyebrow.

"No?" I asked. She shook her head.

"Somehow, we always manage to come through. _Always._" She said, looking more positive than I felt.

We bid our farewells to the professors. Hagrid, as usual, gave us an emotional goodbye and almost crushed us in a hug. McGonnagel was kind enough in her stern way, and Dumbledore was… Dumbledore. That's why everyone—aside from the Slytherins, but they don't count—loved him. We made our way down to the Hogwarts Express, through Hogsmeade. We found an empty compartment, and settled in for the hours it would take to get back to London. Crookshanks jumped up on a seat and settled down. I wondered if Fred and George would be joining us, or Ron…

"You had a lucky escape in the maze, Potter." We turned to see Malfoy standing outside our compartment, Crabbe and Goyle in their usual minion pose. "But he's back, and no French girls will be around to save you! First it'll be mudbloods like you, Granger, and then—"

He was cut off mid sentence as both of us drew our wands and fired curses at the same time. Malfoy flew backwards and bounced off the wall while at the same time turning as stiff as a board. Crabbe and Goyle moved surprisingly fast, ducking out of sight. I saw a fast shape move, and sounds of punches and a few shouts.

"Hold your fire!" Percy called, then stepped around the corner. He was grinning at the frozen Malfoy. Hermione and I moved closer, and could see Crabbe and Goyle, both unconscious from well-placed blows. "Nice to see you two finally standing up for yourselves. And here I was thinking English were wimps."

"Maybe Americans are just violent." I laughed.

"You two catching a ride to London?" Hermione observed.

"Yeah, than back to the States." Percy nodded. Crookshanks stalked up to the two and looked at them closely.

"Seaweed brain, the _bodies_." Annabeth hissed, looking around the corridor.

"Right." He tried a promising closet. "Locked."

"Oh, simple." Hermione said. She pointed her wand, "_Alohomora._" The door clicked, and Percy opened it easily. They stuffed the three Slytherins inside while Hermione and I stood watch, blocking anyone from seeing.

No, not dodgy at all.

* * *

"So…" Hermione said slowly, glancing around the compartment.

"He seemed confident Voldemort has returned." Percy remarked. "Big surprise there."

"His father was a death eater." I explained.

"Things are probably going to get rough within the next few years." Annabeth said abruptly. "So get ready for it. Luck favors the prepared."

"Assuming that was Voldemort in the graveyard, he might already have figured out a way to get a normal body." Percy said. "You Brits have a lot of work ahead of you."

"He's probably not going to be strong enough to try to wage a civil war, so history suggests he'll try to go for a coup." Annabeth was speaking quickly, intensely. "He'll be trying to infiltrate as many men as he can in your government here, before striking. Once he's got enough people working for him in government, he'll probably have the leaders killed, then seize power. It's happened a lot, and Voldemort seems fairly Machiavellian."

"Machia-what?" I asked.

"Machiavelli was the father of political science, Harry." Hermione said. "He was an Italian tactician who wrote about overthrowing governments, establishing regimes, stuff like that. About five hundred years ago." Annabeth nodded.

"Neither Dumbledore nor the leadership in our camp really thinks your government will be able to stop it." Percy said. "No offense. So it's important that you prepare."

"Wait, why are you telling us this?" I asked. "Are you going to send help if this happens, or you guys know something Dumbledore doesn't?"

"We're telling you this because you need to be ready if it happens." Annabeth said. "My mother is a military tactician. Planning ahead is the most important thing of all, as long as you have the will to act."

"So what do you suggest we do?" Hermione asked.

"Overall… prepare. Basically ask yourselves—what would you do if your government turned on you? Could you hide, survive long enough to fight back? You know more about magic than us, so you'll know better than us what to do. But _what_ to be ready for is simple. Voldemort will either focus his men on terrorism and strategic strikes against your government, or he will go the simple factions route—he'll throw his power behind some group already here, strengthen it, and use it to take control of the government, with violence." Annabeth stopped for a breath and leaned back, worry on her face. Those two looked concerned.

"You're not basing this on what that Italian wrote, right?" I asked gingerly.

"Rules of war and people still stand." Percy shrugged. "Like, you know about the Iraqi War from a few years ago, and our President Bush, right? How it was popular at first, then became incredibly unpopular, looked like a half-failure? Because of the cost, and body count?" Hermione and I both nodded. I knew enough about muggle doings to know about it.

"Machiavelli instructed to never occupy nations simply with standing armies." Percy said. "He said it would cost too much, and it would drag the violence on so long that your own nation, and the nation you were occupying, would hate you. He said that when you must use violent force, do it all at once. And use colonies when occupying a nation."

"Okay." Hermione nodded. "So, we need to be ready. We need to know how to fight, we need friends who will fight with us, we need to know how to run if we have to, and we need places we can run too, in between fights."

"Basically." Annabeth said.

"That concludes our doomsday warning." Percy said jokingly giving a half-salute. "Boy, don't you feel better?"

"No." I said gloomily. "Can't people from your camp find Voldemort, with Dumbledore?"

"We have our own problems stateside." Annabeth sighed. "But that doesn't mean you can't do something."

"So, what did you think of Hogwarts?" Hermione said brightly. We all laughed.

"A bit more Middle-Ages compared to what we're used to, but quite an experience." Annabeth smiled. "And it was a pleasure to meet you both."

* * *

We bid some more farewells once we got to London and exited. Thankfully, the Grangers had sent a letter to the Dursley's for me, telling them no need to arrive at the station. (I didn't want to risk what the Dursley's might do to an unlucky messenger owl.)

"There's my parents." Hermione said brightly, grabbing my hand. "I can't wait to get home. You'll love it."

And oddly enough… I did.

* * *

_Okay, so not to provide a huge let-down to anyone who read this story before, but unless I want to try rivaling Rowling, I think this is where this story ends... or at least leaves off. Not that it couldn't pick up at some later point in the original story. Leave a review if you like, and if you think it would be good to pick this story up again at a later part of the plot (such as, dealing with Umbridge, or figuring out horcruxes, or on the run from the death-eater ruled Ministry of Magic) do say so in your review. Oh, and if you think this story could resume somewhere—add if you think Percy and Annabeth should come back. Thanks!_


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